Occupational skin disease in newspaper pressroom workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Christiani, David C. ; Feldman HA ; Hashimoto D ; Kelsey KT ; Seitz, Teresa A. ; Yakes B
• Description:
  A study of occupational skin disease in newspaper pressroom workers was conducted. The cohort consisted of 245 male pressroom workers, mean age 44.6 years, at a large newspaper printing facility. The comparisons consisted of 34 compositors, mean age 54.2 years. The subjects completed a questionnaire to obtain information on work and medical histories, exposure to solvents, work related symptoms, and details of their current job. The subjects were given skin examinations. The pressroom workers reported significantly higher prevalences of symptoms such as dry or cracked skin, itching, redness, and acne than the comparisons. Eighteen pressroom workers (8.5%) and one comparison (3%) had eczematous dermatitis. The hands or arms were the most frequently affected sites, accounting for 83% of the cases. Scalp or face dermatitis accounted for the rest of the cases. Solvent type 1, Cleansall, and isopropyl-alcohol (67630) exposures were significantly associated with the dermatitis. Regression analysis showed using two or more solvents and age were significantly associated with dermatitis, odds ratios 7.26 and 1.05, respectively. Two pressroom workers had malignant melanoma and five a history of skin cancer. One comparison had a history of skin cancer. The authors conclude that printing pressroom workers have a significantly elevated risk of developing skin diseases, especially after combined exposure to commonly used solvents. Proper work practices and appropriate gloves should be used to avoid direct skin contact with the solvents. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dermatitis Epidemiology Neoplasms Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Printing Safety Skin Skin Diseases Solvents

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• Keywords:
  Contact-dermatitis JOCMA7 Newspapers NIOSH-Author Occupational-diseases Occupational-exposure Organic-solvents Printers Skin-cancer
• ISSN:
  0096-1736
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  33
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00200917
• Citation:
  J Occup Med 1991 Jun; 33(6):711-717
• CAS Registry Number:
  Isopropanol (CAS RN 67-63-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:44be60f4b3a26cc32ebb40a2a52e55d9da9387c2d2f48144f79b8cb57082f0a1beda62b17cc2847c045e4cdf427bdaa1b7c602a51f753b8f77f8d1005e908a37
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205273/cdc_205273_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 556.26 KB ]